NEW CASTLE, DE — A 13-year-old boy from Wilmington has been arrested in connection with an attempted vehicle theft and assault outside a New Castle school, Delaware State Police announced Wednesday.
Troopers responded at approximately 4:57 p.m. on July 22 to Harry O. Eisenberg Elementary School on Landers Lane after a report of a fight. Investigators determined that a 64-year-old man returned to his Ford Transit van in the school’s parking lot and found three to four teenage suspects inside the vehicle.
When the man confronted the group, the suspects fled. One of them, later identified as the 13-year-old, pointed an orange flare gun at the victim while fleeing. The victim caught up with the teen, who then punched him before being detained. Troopers arrived on scene and took the teen into custody without further incident, recovering the flare gun.
The Ford van had sustained damage consistent with attempted vehicle theft using a screwdriver, which was found lodged in the ignition. The other suspects remain unidentified and at large.
The teen was charged with multiple felony offenses and committed to the New Castle County Detention Center on a $26,200 cash bond.